Sarajevo setting for U17 rivals

Bosnia-Herzegovina will compete in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship Elite round for the first time when Group 3 kicks off today, but the hosts must top talented teams from England, Serbia and Azerbaijan if they are to progress.

Tie breaker
After nine failed attempts at UEFA's junior competition, Velimir Stojanić's side finally managed it this year by claiming first place in qualifying round Group 5, their 2-0 opening win against Wales proving crucial. They lost 2-1 to Slovakia but then defeated Moldova 2-1 and claimed top spot despite finishing level on points with Slovakia and Wales.

Sarajevo venues
Two of Sarajevo's biggest stadiums, the national Koševo - venue for the 1984 Winter Olympics - and FK Željezničar's Grbavica, will stage the mini-tournament. They have never met any of these nations in this competition before, save for a 3-1 defeat by England on their U16 debut in 1998, and Stojanić admits his team are the underdogs.

England and Serbia tipped
"I have tried to gather all the best young players," Stojnić said. "We will see if we managed to do that. We have to be aware of the fact that we are in the same group as two very strong opponents. In the first match we are playing England, and we will go for a draw. Two days later, we will play against our eastern neighbours [Serbia]. The England versus Serbia match will decide who will take the first place in this tournament."

Busy season
For the first time since John Peacock became England U17 coach in 2002 his team missed out on the finals last year, beaten on home soil by eventual champions Russia. As seeds, England were excused the qualifying round but have had a busy year, playing 13 matches with seven wins and three draws. They won a tournament on home soil against Turkey, the United States and Portugal in September, and were runners-up in an event in the Faroe Islands, the UEFA friendly tournament in Belgium and the recent Algarve Tournament.

Serbian hopes
Serbia qualified for the finals last year together with Montenegro, and look to have another talented team this season. In the qualifying round, they beat Malta (2-0) and Andorra (4-0) before a goalless draw with Italy, and even if they slip up in their opener against Azerbaijan, they may think back a year. They began the 2005/06 Elite round with a 2-1 loss to Israel but then overcame Romania 1-0 and beat home team the Republic of Ireland 3-0 to qualify in a match the Irish ended with eight men.

Azerbaijan warning
Azerbaijan last reached the Elite round in 2004/05, where they beat holders France 2-0. They got through this time with a 2-1 win against Latvia, 2-0 loss to Ireland and 0-0 draw with Denmark. Coach Yashar Vahab-Zada said: "Our only problem is our strikeforce, which is not only an individual but a team problem. We have tried to reinforce our midfield with new players. England are clear favourites but that does not mean first place is already decided."